AGirlsMBA

Writing Tip #2: Tell a story

2010-08-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I am back with another writing tip that I frequently give when reviewing essays.

Writing Top #2: Tell a story

So, we all know that word limits for applications are pretty low. Sometimes they even feel impossibly low. Unfortunately, what that world limit restriction often leads to is that essays become a disparate collection of sentences, without proper connections, transitions, or places to "stop and breathe". Thus, I think that as each of you write your essays you should be very careful to not try to cram too much into a small number of words. A story that is well told and has slightly less "information" in it is much more impactful than one with tons of facts but no flow.

A trick I used to see how much flow my essays had was this: after I was done writing an essay I would put it away for a day or two. Then, I would take it out and immediately try to read the essay out loud either to myself or to others (no reading it silently first, that is cheating!). There would inevitably be spots where it was awkward and "out of rhythm". I would mark these spots, recognizing that those were the places that either had bad or non-existent transitions, and then focus my efforts for the next revision on building those transitions. Then it was onto the next draft, and lather, rinse, repeat!

Hope this helps!

Disclaimer: the thoughts and ideas represented in this blog are my own and do not represent that of any specific business school or Admissions Committee or office.

Kicking off the 2010-2011 Essay Editing season!

2010-07-21T21:54:00.008-05:00

Hi all - hope you have been doing well. My apologies for the lack of recent essay tips. We had some personal family stuff come up and I've been "away from the computer" dealing with it. But, I'm now back in action and better than ever!
So what does that mean? It means more writing tips coming soon. It also means that I'm officially kicking off the 2010-2011 MBA Application Essay Editing season! I had such a great great time last year meeting applicants and helping with their journeys to Business School and am excited to do it again!

I've included below the ad I have been posting around about the services I offer. For questions, more information and/or pricing please feel free to either email (jagarwal@mba2009.hbs.edu) or call (617-794-5949) me.

Finally, As an incentive to get started early I am offering a 10% discount to applicants who start essay review services with me before September 1st, 2010 and mention this blog post. Looking forward to another great year!

-------------------------------------
Are you applying to college or MBA programs and struggling to get those essays just right? I'm here to help you make sure that your essays are clear, concise, and all about showing YOU off in the best light possible!

How I can help your college or MBA admissions process:
- Simple Essay Review: I will look at your essay, correct any grammar mistakes and write up a summary of strengths and areas of improvement.
- Extensive Essay Review: Includes the above. I will also extensively edit the essay document itself, increase the detail of the summary document and suggest how the essay should balance with the rest of your application.
- School Package: Includes a review of all essays for a particular school (with the choice of either simple or extensive reviews) and a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the application as a whole.

My credentials:
- I graduated with my MBA from Harvard Business School in June of 2009. During the application process, I was accepted at 6 schools.
- In 2003 I got my undergraduate degree from MIT. During my time there I wrote numerous speeches and proposals.
- In between, I also applied and was admitted to numerous medical schools (I decided a life of medicine was not for me and didn't matriculate).
- My job as a Management Consultant at a Top 3 firm revolves around communicating information quickly, concisely and effectively!

Please contact me either via email (jagarwal@mba2009.hbs.edu) or phone (617-794-5949). Looking forward to helping!

Writing Tip #1: Be specific about what you want to do

2010-06-03T10:55:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! Hope you are doing well. Through the last application season I was fortunate enough to review a number of essays and help some great applicants with their journeys to business school. Thank you!

Through that work, I came across a number of essay writing "issues" that were common among applicants. I thought it might be helpful to share these along with my tips for remedying them as people start to gear up for the new season. please let me know if you have any questions!

Writing Tip #1: Be specific about what you want to do

As you all know, many schools ask to hear about what you want to do with your career. Even when questions were as clear as "What are your short-term and long-term career goals," I reviewed many essays where even after I was done reading I had no idea what the writer wanted to actually do with his/her career. Often times applicants would lay out the qualities of the organization they are looking for (i.e. "I want to work somewhere with a strong culture of fun," or "I want to work somewhere where I will be challenged by my peers"), but I had no way of knowing whether they wanted to do that in an organization that already exists or if they wanted to start their own company. I had no way of knowing what field (i.e. retail, investment banking, etc.) excited them the most. I had no way of knowing what sort of function (i.e. strategy, marketing, etc.) they would want to do within that company. I had no way of knowing what they really wanted. Remember that the purpose of all the essays are to give AdComs an idea of who you are; with an essay like this, they should ideally be able to imagine what you would desire professionally if they met you in a "career counseling" situation. This is your chance to show them what you are passionate about, don't waste that chance!

Disclaimer: the thoughts and ideas represented in this blog are my own and do not represent that of any specific business school or Admissions Committee or office.

Limited capacity available for essay reviews for later Round 2 schools!

2010-01-05T15:22:00.007-05:00

Hi all,

I'm sure you are in the crunch phase of applications - I so fondly remember printing out my applications one last time, spell checking every word and finally clicking SUBMIT!! It's so refreshing to know that you have done all you can do and now it is in someone else's hands. Congrats to everyone as you each go through this!

I also wanted to announce there I do have some limited capacity for essay review spots available for later Round 2 school applications (e.g. HBS, MIT/Sloan, NYU Stern, Kellogg, etc.).

Please feel free to call (617 794 5949) or email (jagarwal@mba2009.hbs.edu) to discuss and/or for pricing! Thanks and I look forward to helping :)

At some point I will write up a new post of tips and tricks that I've put together from this essay service. And finally, a HUGE THANKS to all my clients thus far! I'm loving helping you all with your essays and I thank you for helping me start a little fledgling side business doing what I love best - mentoring others :)

Happy new year everyone! (below is the view we had this year for NYE - how awesome??)

The Final Countdown - Still accepting Round 2 reviews!

2009-12-28T13:07:00.003-05:00

Hi all,

Hope you are doing well and having a great holidays with your family! I wanted to first say THANK YOU to everyone that has contacted me for essay edits through this blog, I've really enjoyed working with you all!

Also, I wanted to let everyone know that I am still accepting clients to review Round 2 applications. Because it is so close to the deadline, I am adding a rush fee of an extra 25%, but still will be able to get them done on time!

I only have spots for a few clients left in Round 2 so please let me know soon if you are interested.

And THANKS AGAIN for everyone that has contacted me already!!

Jyoti :)

AGirlsMBA now doing Essay Editing!

2009-12-04T15:28:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone!

Obviously it's been years since I wrote on this blog, but I thought I'd update with an exciting new adventure I'm starting up :)

After reviewing tons of college application essays through the years and then even more MBA application essays over the last 2 years I've decided to start a little side business reviewing essays! Who knows where this could do in the next few years, but I loved my MBA journey so much and love helping other people through theirs, so I think this is the perfect endeavor for me!

Below I've posted the ad I've been placing around. Please contact me either phone or email if you'd like some help with your essay(s)!

-------------------------------------
Are you applying to college or MBA programs and struggling to get those essays just right? I'm here to help you make sure that your essays are clear, concise, and all about showing YOU off in the best light possible!

How I can help your college or MBA admissions process:
- Simple Essay Review: I will look at your essay, correct any grammar mistakes and write up a summary of strengths and areas of improvement.
- Extensive Essay Review: Includes the above. I will also extensively edit the essay document itself, increase the detail of the summary document and suggest how the essay should balance with the rest of your application.
- Integrative Essay Review: This package can be designed to meet the needs of the applicant and where he/she is in the application process. Features can include phone consultation, in-person consultation, reviews of multiple essays to ensure a balanced application, follow-up reviews, etc.

My credentials:
- This past June I got my MBA from Harvard Business School. During the application process, I was accepted at 6 schools.
- In 2003 I got my undergraduate degree from MIT. During my time there I wrote numerous speeches and proposals.
- In between, I also applied and was admitted to numerous medical schools (I decided a life of medicine was not for me and didn't matriculate).
- I have been editing essays and resumes for friends and family for the last 5 years.
- My job as a Management Consultant at a Top 3 firm revolves around communicating information quickly, concisely and effectively!

Please contact me either via email (jagarwal@mba2009.hbs.edu) or phone (617-794-5949). Looking forward to helping!

Notes:
- 500 word maximum per essay for above rates. Prices available on request for longer essays.
- Turnaround time is 48 hours for Simple Essay Review and 72 hours for Integrative Essay Review.

------------------------------

And, just for kicks - a few pictures from Graduation:

My Co-President and I giving our speech!

My family and I on Class Day

My Co-Pres and I leading our class into Harvard Yard on Graduation Day (and yes I wore flip flops to the morning exercises)

Getting our degrees conferred (we were officially the rowdiest group there)

Standing at the HBS Graduation ceremony as Dean Light recognized the Student Association

The most "HBS day" ever

2008-12-10T22:37:00.005-05:00

Hi all,

Back for another one of my totally random and too infrequent posts ... I wanted to write this Monday night but the crunch of papers, finals, and, well, sleep has kept me from writing until now. I finished my 4 (yes FOUR) classes on Monday with a huge smile on my face and feeling like I had the most "HBS day" ever! In each of the 4 classes we had a rocking visitor, and it's these sorts of connections (either through profs, or by being the case protagonist, or an alum, or whatever) that I feel are really unique to HBS.

1) Managing International Trade and Investment - this is a class about learning how to operate a firm in a global economy. Because of everything that is going on, our professor did an awesome job at revamping the last few days of the term to discuss the current crisis. On Monday we had Shumeet Banerji, the CEO of Booz & Co., come talk to and with us about how the crisis is affecting international trade!

2) Investment Management - this class is exactly what it sounds like - learning about how Hedge Funds, Mutual funds, Money Managers, Institutions, etc. invest. On Monday we were learning about Vanguard, the crazy awesome fund that has the lowest fees of anyone out there and almost $1 trillion under management. And who do we get to come to class? The CEO of Vanguard, Jack Brennan (he is stepping down after 12 years, but I'm not sure effective when). This guy is arguably the manager of the biggest fund in the world and he's so down to earth, excited to talk with us and hear our points of view.

3) Private Equity Finance - another class where you can probably guess what it is about. Basically we learn everything from beginning to end about PE deals - sourcing, structure, value addition, exit, etc. On Monday we were studying W.L. Ross & Co. and the decision of whether to sell his fund or not. For those of you who don't know, W.L. Ross is known as the guy that basically turned around the entire steel industry in the US. In class we don't have somebody from his firm, but Mr. W.L. Ross himself. Are you kidding me? Jaw dropping.

4) Authentic Leadership Development - this is a very unique, introspective class where you spend the term exploring who you really are, what experiences have defined you and how you can use your authentic self to be the best leader you can be. On Monday we were studying DaVita, one of the most impactful dialysis companies in the world. And who do we have in class? Of course the CEO Kent Thiry. Kent is quite a character, with so much energy and passion for what he does.

It was just so awe inspiring to have 4 classes with 4 business leaders taking the time out of their crazy schedules to come talk to us. It just continues to humble me and amaze me that I get to experience this, I honestly feel so fortunate everyday. I sometimes wonder if they did it all as a ploy to get people more appreciative before finals ;)

Other than that life is good! A few random points:
1) I can't believe I only have 1 semester left! Remember when we were all just applying? So sad!
2) For winter break I will be going to New Zealand with the outdoors club. It's going to be SO awesome! Sea kayaking, heli biking, bungee jumping (maybe), sea kayaking and camping on the beach ... yes, yes and yes
3) It is almost time for the Class of 2011 to be admitted. Seriously? Wow. My Co-Pres and I just wrote a letter to go into all the welcome packets and we get to address at Admit weekend, super fun but so sad that it is all so close!
4) There is an HBS special on CNBC on September 17th, which I'm stoked to watch. They taped our Orientation speech, which may make it, but I'm more stoked to see my section-mate Spence who they chose to be one of the students they shadowed.
5) Hope you all have a great and safe and happy holiday season! I know I'm ready for a break!

First Year Trips, Best Internship Ever and Welcome to the new HBS RCs!

2008-07-27T20:59:00.007-05:00

Hi again,

A new post only a week later, you're proud aren't you? Ok, so updates on Africa, my summer internship and welcomes for the class to come ...

Africa
One of the most amazing things about business school is the trips. They are put on by people from the regions we travel to and it's just so convenient. You pay your money and everything is taken care of - lodging, internal travel, safaris, food, etc. This was especially awesome in places of the world where I would have no idea what to do. I decided to go to Africa because it has been a lifetime dream of mine to make it over there. We went to Tanzania (including the island of Zanzibar) and Kenya. If you haven't been to Africa, you must go. Like now. Seeing the places we visited was like going back in time 200 years. We saw untouched landscapes and everywhere elephants were living with zebras, with warthogs, with lions, with flamingos, with gazelles, with baboons, with hippos, etc. Like a real life Lion King. Parents - don't take your kids to the zoo, take them to the real deal in Africa. We also got to see a true Masai tribe, which was awesome. It was great to see how preserved their culture and way of life is. We were supposed to spend 2 days in Nairobi learning about businesses and non-profits in Africa, but this was when the violence was at it's highest so most of us left early. I had the most amazing time, both because of the what I saw, and how well I got to know people who were on this trip with me!

Best Summer Internship Ever
This summer I'm working at one of the Big 3 Consulting firms and, honestly, having the time of my life. Coming from industry into consulting is a huge change both in scope of work and day-to-day life and I love it. My work now is much more fast-paced and (theoretically - given that it's a summer internship) more impactful, which I love. I also love the firm I joined, it's the perfect fit for me. I've said this a lot, but I think when you get down to it, the big 3 are actually very different from each other in terms of personality, work and travel. I love the people I work with and am glad to see a lot of them everyday of the week. My team has been great too and did a wonderful job in carving out a specific piece of work for me. I've been lucky to present to and work directly with our client and feel like I am getting a real experience of what a full-time job here would be like. Far and away, however, the best part of my summer is the class of MBA students that I am interning with. Each one of us is so different from one another and it's nice to learn about people from schools all over the country. I feel like I've found a company I could be really happy at and a group of people that I will be friends with for a long time to come. Seriously, I'm so grateful to have my life.

Welcome to the HBS MBA Class of 2010!
Hi new RCs! Welcome!! I think I said this a few posts ago, but I am so jealous of the position you are in. I wish I could be starting my HBS experience and still have 2 years to go of it! My Co-Pres and I will be at your kickoff speech so I'm excited to meet some of you that day. I thought I'd write out a few things I wish I had known before I started at HBS. They may be somewhat helpful, or not, but at least they are out there. Also, feel free to write me (agirlsmba@gmail.com) with any questions, concerns, etc. you have about starting, I love to help out! Ok, so things I wish I had known (this list will probably continue for a while):

1. Think about and know what you want out of school before coming - There are always too many things to do to fit into one day, and you'll have to know what you truly want out of your experience to make sure you pick the right thing. Whether it is being a Baker Scholar, seeing all the wonderful speakers you can, networking/getting to know your fellow classmates, leading a club or group at school or whatever, just think about it and remember it when making daily (sometimes hourly) tradeoffs.

2. Don't stress out too much about grades - One big difference between 1st term and 2nd term RCs is how much people stress about grades. You'll realize in December that 80% of your section gets 2s in each class, and a 2 is a 2 is a 2, it doesn't matter whether you are the top 2 or the bottom 2. My personal opinion is that business school has so much to offer that focusing too much on classes makes you miss out on so many other experiences you could be having.

3. Do focus hard on getting a job - One of the best things about HBS is that they don't let recruiters come on campus until November. Do take the first 2 months of school to focus on classes and cases and don't worry about the job thing. However, once recruiting starts, make sure you do focus and figure out what you want. Go to presentations, talk to recruiters and find out what jobs are really like. From what I saw, those who had a difficult job search were those who weren't focused enough and tried to recruit for everything. Figure out your industry and then build relationships, prepare your heart out for the interviews and give it your best.

4. Get to know your Section early and well - One of the biggest facts about HBS is that students' satisfaction with life at HBS is highly correlated with how much they like their section experience. From day one make an effort to get to know these people, not just their jobs or schools, but who they really are. If no one else does it, set up the first drinks night or a few early section lunches where each person talks about him/herself. Believe me, people will be grateful you did. and if you really want to impact your section experience, run for social chair. It's a ton of work, but you really define and bring together this group of people.

5. Set up a system with your Learning Team (LT) early and review it regularly - Your LT is a group of 5-6 people from different sections that you meet with early in the morning before classes each day to review cases. Early on, make sure you set expectations that everyone can agree to - writeups or not? If so, format and when should they be sent out? Time and place to meet and tolerance for lateness? Should the group be strictly business or social as well? What are norms for dealing with difficult situations that will inevitably arise? ... Once you set all these take time each month to do a debrief of how the team is working together and whether things need to be change. It sounds "touchy feely" and over the top but I think LT is actually more useful as an exercise in group dynamics than prep for cases. Maybe I be crazy, but I heart my LT.

6. Random things I can think of -
- Priscilla Ball will be a key bonding event for your section, and quite possibly the funniest thing you have ever seen. If your section can coordinate a choreographed dance and perform it that night, all the other sections will be jealous.
- You will spend more time at Tommy Doyle's, Daedelus, RedLine, The Hong Kong (yes, the kong) and the Cambridge IHOP than you even would want to as an undergrad
- Section Retreat is amazing, 2 days in a random place are super fun and super bonding. Make sure your section books a place before officers are elected in October ... otherwise you may miss out on the best houses
- Go to the SABA (South Asian Business Association) show in the fall ... it always sells out Burden Auditorium and this year people were lined up outside trying to get in any way they could, you will be amazed by the talent and energy of the performers
- Go to Sankofa (put on by the African American Student Union) ... again in Burden and such a great demonstration of talent and culture, you will be in awe of your fellow students
- Go to the HBS Show ... a satirical musical poking fun at the school. Again, did I mention people at HBS are crazy talented?
- The sushi at Spangler is great, just make sure you sprint out of class to get there before the line is miles long at lunch
- The yogurt/granola/pineapple parfaits are my favorite breakfast. Ever.
- If you eat dinner at The Grille the salmon with lemon flavoring can't be beat.
- Order a Section Fleece. It's like the Class Ring of HBS.
- Try to get into Boston every so often, school can be all-consuming but there is a great city beyond our campus
- Get ready to feel like you are in college again - beirut, flip cup and hanging out with people ALL the time
- and mostly, be fluid. You are in for the ride of your life, sometimes getting drunk at 1pm and then having a snowball fight the day before the Marketing final is worth it. And sometimes you may stay up until 4am finishing a business plan. Whatever it is, be ready to be up for anything.

Ok wow, longest post ever ... if you are still reading now, you are less ADD than I am! Hopefully another post soon :)

Always,

AGirlsMBA

Slowest ... poster .... ever ... but I'm "back"!

2008-07-19T16:20:00.005-05:00

Hi all,

Wow, it's been a long time. I always say it, but it's true, school and now my internship have taken over my life. But, reading the MBA blogs out there for the first time in a few months has gotten me back on track ... there are SO many things to talk about regarding the last 12 months (quite easily the best year of my life) so I'm assuming the next few posts will just be random-ness about school and work ... enjoy!

2nd Term!
So as I've said many, many times before, I really do believe HBS is the best place on Earth. The 2nd semester flew by, probably even faster than the first. I tried to take a moment each day just to smile and be thankful for all the people I was surrounded by and all that I was getting to do, because I truly am quite fortunate to be able to live the life I do. Classes as a whole were interesting and quite different from first term. We took Finance 2; Business, Government and the International Economy; Strategy (BGIE); The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM); Negotiation and Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA), all of which were interested and quite integrative across various business concepts. We had a variety of professors, but by far our favorite was for TEM. He was entertaining, caring, intelligent and challenged us everyday to think about the core aspects of startup ventures. Can't ask for much more. Another cool thing was that our LCA professor used to be the Finance Minister of a prominent country up through 2007 - who ever thought little old me would be learning from a big wig like him?

Section!
Man, how can I sum up the Section experience? After starting off strong we continued momentum through the end of the year, and when I think of next year and not having every class with this family (2nd year at HBS is all electives with a mix of people) I get a little nervous and super sad. I believe that having so many jokes and friendships in the class truly made us learn better and be more open about our experiences. For the last day I made a video including memories and compliments from and for all the students in the section and after we showed it, many people (including boys!) were crying. That was one of the moments I knew we had created something extraordinary. This summer we kicked off an "email a day" (as many sections do) to keep in touch ... basically everyday 1-2 people write the section updating everyone on what they have been doing all summer ... it's been a wonderful way to keep in touch ... and to continue to poke fun at each other.

School Co-President!
By far, the most humbling thing to happen to me this term was to be elected Co-President of the HBS Student Body with one of my fellow classmates. I made the decision to run at the last minute (not shocking to those who followed my bschool application process) and literally submitted my name an hour before the deadline. We ran against 3 other teams and after posters, visits to different sections, a debate and lots of emails we were lucky to win! Months later, I still can't believe it's true, and in a weird way I feel like it validates my admissions to HBS (I guess they really DO want me here, ha). My coolest moment all year came off this win. My Co-Pres and I found out on a Thursday night that we had won. I had been at a play with my Section, so we went to a pub and a club after to celebrate. The next day, Friday, we had class (ha we aren't like slacker bschools and actually have class 5 days a week! kidding...). The first class was BGIE and about halfway through I raised my hand to make a comment. As soon as I started talking the entire class started cheering and stood up and yelled and screamed for me. The moment literally brought me to tears, as having the support and pride of 89 of the smartest, most successful, amazing people was more than I have ever felt. I truly believe that only at HBS are sections this close. Anyway, the job has been super busy but super fun so far. It's so awesome to get an inside view of how HBS really runs and to be able to represent our fellow students to the higher-ups. Hopefully, we'll make everyone proud!

Ok, that's a lot for now, there's lots more to write about ... and it will come soon enough. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my fellow blogging friends :)

Always,

AGirlsMBA

To Come:
Africa and Costa Rica!
Interning at the best company EVER!
Admits/Next Year

Welcome to the Round 1 HBS Admits!

2008-01-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the new admits for the Class of 2010! You are in for one amazing ride ... enjoy this day, as it's one you will truly never forget.

I can't believe there's a whole new crop of people already! I feel like I just started here and I never want it to end.

If any admits need advice or have questions feel free to send my way. Congrats again!

HBS is Amazing! ... and fielding application advice/questions!

2007-12-17T23:29:00.000-05:00

Hello blogging world, wow wow wow. I can't believe that 4 months have gone by since I last blogged. Let's just say life at HBS is way busier and way more amazing than I ever thought it would be. I could write pages and pages for days and days but I won't for now as I probably should get some sleep before my finance final tomorrow. Oh 4.5 hours of financial modeling and typing as much as I can - does life really get any better than this?

The main reason I've started up this blog if to take and respond to questions from applicants to bschool. I remember how confusing the whole process was and I'd love to give whatever (limited) help I can to everyone else out there! So, if you have any questions please leave them in the comments and I'll try to post at least one blog entry a week responding to most (if not all) of them.

I also want to keep a better diary of school and life here. First to spread the HBS spirit and second to help me remember years down the road what an amazing place this is ...

And so I begin my reflections on RC year ...

SECTION: First years here (called RCs) are split into 10 90-person sections and let me tell you, section pride is intense. Let's just say that my secion has been consistently called a "cult", "that section" and "obsessed with each other". And I have to say that those names give me some perverse sort of pride. I'm honored to call these people my section-mates, my family - both because of what they have accomplished and because of who they are. I'm actually sad that the semester is ending because that means I only have one more term to have class with these people every single day. What truly amazes me is how we are able to laugh in every class we have - who knew learning could be so fun?

PROFESSORS: Wow, we got SO fortunate this term ... both our TOM (Technology Operations Management) and FIN1 (Finance 1) professors are two of the best in the school. I honestly feel like all our profs are part of our family and I'm sad to not be seeing them again next term. I mean honestly, where else can you have profs that teach classes about a sock factory with no shoes on, get you to honestly talk about gender/race in the workplace and inspire you to develop a diversified Section Retirement fund?

CASE METHOD: I know a lot people have doubts in this for classes like accounting and finance, and it's not for everyone, but I find it amazing. The best part is that while I learn the concepts (which anyone could do from a book) what we really learn are about the managerial decisions that executives must make for cases that are "on the edge". When is it appropriate to change depreciation methods? Is it representative of the business we are in? How would the change affect the financial statements and in turn the investors view of the company? I truly appreciate the no-laptop policy, and I can't imagine a situation where students are more engaged and enthusiastic to be in class.

There are 210938098 more things to write (especially about the amazing social life here as well!) but I'll leave that be for a night when I don't have a final the next day ... thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions!

Advice on Leadership Essays

2007-08-17T00:39:00.001-05:00

Hi all ... long time no post, I know, I know. Still trying to figure out what exactly to do with this blog. In the meantime, I thought I'd post answers to some of the questions I've being receiving via email because the answers will hopefully be helpful to other applicants ... as a disclaimer these are usually written late at night (ahhh summer vacation) so please excuse poor grammar/spelling.

Recently I got a question from someone asking for help in the leadership essays because he/she felt that with limited experience and without "high-up" positions he/she didn't know what to write about. Here is my response:

I think when talking about leadership you don't need to necessarily have been a president of club or company. It can be in everyday actions and you just have to find one in your past experiences that shows it. For example, for a work leadership example in my essays I talked about how a member of our team was unexpectedly let go and because of his departure there was a big hole, including reports needed for senior management. I saw this and approached my VP asking him if I could do the work for no pay, but as a trade off to get the experience. He agreed and I started getting higher level work and exposure to high-ups. Although this isn't leadership in the sense of managing people it is leadership in taking charge of an unfortunate situation to help the greater company's good. In terms of extracurricular another example I used in my essays was how even when I was just a member of a committee (and not on a board) I always made it my mission to make ppl on the committee emotionally connected to each other. I did this both because I enjoy building personal relationships but also because I think when ppl are emotionally dedicated to a cause and to each other you get a much better result in the end. This is another case where there is no "concrete" leadership, but instead a subtle way of helping to form a successful group.

I think the key is not getting caught up in titles and positions, but instead of what sort of leadership is innate in you. My type of leadership (from the examples above) is being able to fix holes in a team and building team morale. By looking at patterns in what you have done in the past twenty-something years of your life you will hopefully be able to find your own personal leadership style!

Good Luck!

Need Blogger Help!

2007-07-22T00:35:00.000-05:00

Hi all, so as you can probably see I'm working on a revamp of my blog to transition from
"applicant" to "student". It's crazy how quick time can fly!

While I am doing so I'd like to archive the posts from my "applicant" phase but still have them available for this years applicants to be able to use a resource. Does anyone know how to do this? I'd like the "first" post of this blog to be my first HBS Student post (still to be written) so I kind of want it to look like a clean slate, but again have the older entries still available.

If you know of any tricks please let me know! I've been trying to figure it out for a while now. Thanks!

What I've been up to and Wharton Waitlist Decision

2007-05-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Sorry I have been MIA for so long. I thought life was crazy as an applicant, but to be honest, it almost feels crazier as an admit! So, a few quick updates and then my Wharton Waitlist Decision ...

Update 1: GO BLUE RENDEZVOUS
So, I have to give it to Michigan, GBR is amazing. In general, their recruitment process is amazing. From the numerous Women's events they held in Boston, for applicants and then admits, to the numerous current students and admins and alums who reached out to me, to the amazing time at GBR, all was great. I love that Michigan paired us up with a student host for the weekend. And I think the events they planned were great as well. But honestly, the best part was that the students REALLY wanted to get to know you and sell the school. We had a group dinner the first night and I ended up going out with 2 other admits and a bunch of students until 4 in the morning! The rest of the days and nights were like this too, it was just great. Mad props to the GBR planning team and Ross overall. By far, the best recruitment I've seen. In fact, the weekend was so great that I was "in-bed sick" for 2.5 weeks after and am still not 100% recovered.

Update 2: HBS ADMIT WEEKEND
This was a nice time as well, but to be honest, not as well planned or "recruit-y" as other Admit weekends (a sentiment I heard all around). I guess, though, that's what happens when you are Harvard. I was still sick from GBR so I didn't get to go out and party as much as I would have liked, but still fun. The best part of this weekend was definitely meeting all the awesome people! the activities weren't the most fantastic, but the people were so amazing. Everyone had done something so phenomenol, that I started to think, "hey! how did I get in?" haha. Another fantastic thing was going to class. This, by far, is the reason why I am going to HBS. I love watching the case method in action and seeing students so in-love with their sections is something I can't wait to be part of. Also amazing was the HBS Show. This is a show put on by students every year parody-ing life at HBS. It was SO hilarious! And, it's unbelievable how talented the students are. I mean, people were singing songs from Phantom of the Opera and they were SO good! I honestly cannot wait to be part of this community.

Update 3: QUITTING AND TRAVELLING
So, I gave my notice at work about a month ago. I gave them two months time to hire and have me train someone and my last day will be June 15th. I. Cannot. Wait. Until then things have gotten a bit crazy as people have left and work has been spread out to a few of us, but I don't care because I have the light at the end of the tunnel! After that I plan to chill and travel for a few months before returning to Boston for school around Sept 1st. I REALLY wanted to go to Kenya for 2 weeks to volunteer and safari, but my mom is worried about my safety so I may postpone the trip. I am definitely going to Hawaii with a bunch of college friends for a wedding and doing a family trip. I'm thinking Greece for the family trip. Do you guys have suggestions of awesome places to go and travel? And cool places to stay? I love funky/cool/swanky hotels (yes, I can be a brat, I know).

Update 4: WHARTON WAITLIST DECISION
I got admitted to Wharton!! I can't believe it. I found out yesterday and was both so happy and so sad at the same time. When I started applying to business school I always said that if I got in everywhere, my choice would come down to Wharton and Harvard. And now, I have that choice! I know in my heart, at the end of the day I will choose Harvard. It just is the right place for me in almost every way - case method, strength in General Management (I think I want to go into strategic planning), full campus as opposed to a single building, reputation (can't lie), location in Boston (I have deep roots here) ... but it still saddens me to say no to Wharton. I think it's more that Harvard and Penn both said no to me for undergrad, and med school (yes, I wanted to be a doctor before) and now finally have both let me in! And it's sad to have to say no to Wharton and really never have the chance to study there ... I wish I could do 2 MBAs and be in school for 4 years and learn at both places ... ha ok I don't REALLY wish that ($300k of debt and too much school) but you know what I mean. My decision is 99% made, but just going to wait it out a bit. Any advice on this?

Update 5: THANKS!!
I know I'm not the best commenter or responder but I just want to say thanks for the support of this online admit community and also my friends and family. I feel lucky that this was a relatively short journey for me (I still remember everyone saying I was nuts to do so many apps in such a short time!) but it was still stressful and anxiety-filled and everyone was supportive and SO happy for me regardless of the results. So, a huge thanks! And a huge congrats and good job to everyone in this community too. We all are peers forever now (MBA '09!) and it'll be awesome to see where we end up 10 years down the road!

And, I promise to try to update more often from now on .... :)

Harvard Decision ...

2007-03-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

I am in!!

The feeling today at noon was absolutely surreal (and even the feeling that I have now). I had butterflies for the first 3 hrs of the day and just kept trying to distract myself in any way possible. Luckily at 11:50am my VP called me into his office to chat about American Idol last night and we talked until about 12:05pm at which point I rushed to my desk and got the amazing letter. I had to read it a few times to really accept that it was the truth and not my imagination. I feel absolutely humbled and honored to be part of the HBS Admit group. My interviewer called me this afternoon too and it was wonderful to speak with him and to hear his confidence that I would be a great addition to the Harvard community.

At this point I am 90% sure I am going to attend Harvard, but I have to still check out my other options, especially once this crazy excitement dies down (although I am not sure if ever will!!). Harvard and Chicago have their admit weekends during the same weekend so that puts in me in a bind also ... what to do, what to do.

I am definitely still attending Go Blue Rendezvous though!

Congrats to everyone else who is getting to the end of this journey too! I can't believe that this whole process is almost over and that soon we all will be starting journies that we dreamed about for so long. Thank you for everyone in this community for your support as well. It really has been great to see everyone so supportive and helpful of each other. This has truly been an amazing process!

A bunch more Admissions Results ...

2007-03-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

Hello all ... I've been MIA for a while because of some personal stuff ... but thankfully everyone is ok and I'm back in action on this blog!

In the meantime, a bunch of admissions decisions have come in ...

Wharton: Waitlisted ... definitely better than a ding, but not excited to wait another TWO months for my decision. At least I have a chance!

Kellogg: Dinged ... ok with this and kind of expected. Knew an interview invite didn't mean anything since they interview everyone, and I did not click with my interviewer.

Columbia: Waitlisted ... gotta start showing them the Columbia love! Is it true that they try to increase their yield and so you really gotta love them and show them that they are number 1?

Chicago: Admitted! ... I got the call today at work and am SO excited!! I have to say I love their program and that I've heard that Chicago is an amazing city! This is definitely a top choice for me ... I'm excited for their Admitted Students Weekend! Who of you am I going to be seeing there??

So summary so far: 4 Admits, 2 Waitlists, 1 Ding, 1 Waiting. What an exciting time! Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Advice on Writing Essays

2007-03-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

Hi all - so in response to a few of my commenters (thanks commenters!) I thought I'd write an entry on my approach to MBA Application essays. Obviously I am no expert, but I thought that maybe my process will click and work for someone else out there. So here goes (warning, a bit extensive!)

1) I didn't use Admissions Consultants. I felt like I know my story better than anyone else, and I know my voice more than anyone else. I didn't want to risk sounding like one person in my essays and another in my interviews. I personally do not think consultants are worth the money.

2) I did all my MBA Applications (from start to finish) between the 2nd-3rd week of December and the 2nd week of January. Granted, this was a bit crushed and I had no life outside of work and applications at this time, it just worked for me. I know I am someone (from college and work) that works really well under pressure and that a time crunch works to my advantage. For you, you should know how you work best - do you need friends/parents to pressure you? Do you have to wait until
the last minute? Do you have to have things done 2 weeks before the deadline? I think this is a subtle but important point. You've worked hard your whole life and been successful, so use what you've learned about yourself to your advantage!

3) Before I wrote my essays I reworked my resume. This seems a bit random, but it really helped me to figure out where my strengths are and what my story would be if I was presenting it to an employer. For example, I realized my story is about really strong academics and extracurriculars and that I would have to make sure I relayed a clear story about my recent career change. I think doing this is a good way to really get intimate with and internalize your story - only then can you realize how to best balance these 3 parts of your application. (I personally DO think extracurriculars are really important because they
show who you are more than work and also the schools want ppl who are going to be involved in clubs, etc. as an MBA student)

4) To actually work on the essays was 3 steps. First, I took all the essay questions and dropped them into Word. I did that for all the schools I was applying. Then, for about a week I went through and outlined each essay in the same document. I guess I used a simple "expository essay" format, where I tried to have a "thesis" in each essay getting across the point I wanted to make in response to the question asked. If needed, I included examples from my profile or from the schools websites (for Why XX School questions) in the outline itself so it would be a standalone document. I spent the majority of my time making strong outlines for each of my essays.

5) Second Step: After making the outline I waited a day or two and then sat down and wrote the essay in one go, usually in about 2 hours. I think doing it this way you have thought through the reasoning by outlining, so all the points you want to get across are there. However, by writing quickly and straight through your write more from your gut and heart and therefore the essay comes off as YOUR story instead of just A story. Also, giving the outline a day or two to "rest" lets you come back with fresh eyes to see any holes you may have missed in the outline.

6) Third Step: I would again leave the essay alone for a day or two and come back and read through it. First I would make sure that the major points I wanted to cover came across. Then I would look at grammar such as spelling, homonyms and parallel structure (really important for readability). Then I would do a read through again to make sure it is all good.

7) And then I would be about 90% done with my essays. I then inputted all the data and essays into the online form and before submitting printed out the final verison of my application. I spent a good 2-3 hours reviewing the application, not necessarily for minute errors, but to make sure that I had told a consistent, balanced and convincing story both through the data section and my essays. In every application I had to go back and tweak my essays to make sure they were aligned with the rest of the application and to ensure there were no discrepencies in what I was saying.

8) Click Submit!!

email address....

2007-03-14T21:54:00.000-05:00

I think Abbra asked for this, but I can't seem to get to his/her page ... my email is agirlsmba@gmail.com.

NYU Decision ...

2007-03-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

Recently I've been reading lots of posts on the BW Forums of ppl getting calls about getting into NYU. So this morning when I got the "Your Status has been Updated" email I did not think it would be good news.

So ... I logged into the Status Check Site, clicked to see my Decision Letter ... and I am IN!!

Yay! Man ... I wish I could make the end of March come quicker!!

A Good Day!

2007-03-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

This morning was definitely nerve racking, with lots of people on the BW Forums waiting and waiting for the Duke decisions to come out ..

Well, they finally did ... and I'm in at Fuqua!! Yippee! So excited.

Then, I was still reeling from that good news when I got a call from a random number on my cell phone in the afternoon. I picked it up, and it was and AdCom member from Michigan (Ross) telling me ... that I am in!! With a scholarship!

Yay! What a wonderful way to start off the admit month. Hopefully this is the start of good things to come ... good luck to everyone else who is in this waiting game!

2 More Interview Reports ... (Fuqua and HBS)

2007-02-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

Hello all, I hope the application season is continuing to go well for everyone! I am happy to be heading to the end of the proverbial "road" and at least being done with everything I can do from my end and leaving the rest in the hands of fate and destiny.

Everyone keeps asking me how my interviews are going, and my honest answer is "I don't know". It's really difficult for me to gauge my performance, because I basically go in there and just talk and come out and thats about it. How do other people out there rate their interview performances?

Ok, now onto the actual interview recaps:

HARVARD: I did this interview on-campus (HBS actually sets a time and place for you to be, no choosing). The interview was early in the morning, so I showed up to the Admissions office and they directed me to another building where my interview would be held (by a part-time faculty who is on the Admissions Committee). I found my way to the lounge and waited and then my interviewer came and got me. (I think most ppl know this, but in case they don't, Harvard is one of the few places where the interview is not blind - the interviewer has thoroughly read your application). We went into a conference room and there were no pleasantries "Hi, how are you, blah blah blah", it was immediately "So, you made a pretty big career change, talk about it". I was a little dumbstruck for 1-2 seconds but I think I got out a good answer. Other questions:
-You've only been working in a corporate setting for a couple of years, how are you going to feel sitting in a finance or accounting class with peers who have spend 5 or 7 years immersed in those fields? Are you going to be intimidated?
-How does your company do _________?
-Tell me about your company, and your company's consumer
-What do you think XYZ recent happening in the news?
-A LOT of company/functional area specific questions involving finance, operations, product, etc. - I think he was trying to see what knowledge I had and would be able to contribute to my section while discussing cases
-Why Harvard
-A time when I turned a bad team situation into a good one
-And for the last questions he asked what I would have wanted him to ask that he hadn't. I said I'd like to outline my strengths as I see him and we discussed those.
There was no time to ask him any questions about Harvard. Overall the interview was about 30 minutes and I left with a decent feeling, but who knows? After that I had lunch with students, which was helpful and attended a class with a friend of a friend. The class was Strategy and was interesting, but I did feel like the time allotted was not enough to adequately cover all the aspects of the case. Then again, who am I to say? Overall, of course the facilities are impressive and it's interesting that there is a full campus instead of just a single building like at some other places.

FUQUA: I interviewed on-campus with a 2nd-year student. My day started early as I attended a class on accounting which started at 8 in the morning! The class was interesting, but students definitely seemed less engaged than they had been at HBS. However, this probably can be attributed both to the fact that it was 8 in the morning and that we're talking about accounting here. Fuqua is undergoing construction (which they really don't need since the building is already big and nice - ah, the cost of Real Estate in North Carolina), which won't be done until Fall 2008. After the class I sat and chilled in the lounge with other applicants until my interview. my interview came and picked me up from the lounge and took me upstairs to a conference room (I think in the Career Management Center). The interview questions (that I can remember):
-Tell me about your career change
-Why is now specifically a good time for your MBA
-Why Fuqua
-Tell me about a bad leadership experience
-What are your strengths
-Tell me about a good and bad team experience
-After you graduate in 2 years what do you think your peers and faculty would say your biggest impact was in your yeras here?
-What specifically are you looking for in a business school?
-What do you think your contribution would be to your learning team?
-Anything else you haven't told me?
Then I asked him some questions about Fuqua and that was it. All in all it was about 35 minutes, which he commented was "one of the shortest interviews he's ever done!". Of course, this made me very nervous and uneasy, and so I asked him if this is a negative point and he said "no no, not at all. It's good because I can tell that you've practiced and/or interviewed before because you got across the pertinent information without rambling". So I think it went well. After that I had lunch with students and a tour of the building. All in all a good visit and a quick turnaround (Decisions will be out March 8th!)

That's about all for now ... only one more to go (NYU - still no word from Stanford, but no big deal). I am excited to not be travelling and have the work be out of my hands and into the hands of the AdCom soon! Hope everyone is well! :)

Interview Reports thus far

2007-02-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

I'm a little over halfway done with my interviews (5 down, 3 to go) so I thought I'd write what I remember of each of them as a reference to others. To pre-empt this, I have a pretty horrible memory, especially since as soon as I was dont with one interview I started preparing for another and basically blocked the last out. So, here goes ...

ROSS: This was a phone interview so I had emailed my resume in when I scheduled the iview. I called up the number provided and my interviewer answered the phone directly. We made some small talk about the weather and then dove right in. The standard tell-me-your-story question was next. So I talked through my background, professional history and career change. Then, why MBA/why now. Then, why do you think Ross will fit into your plans? I talked a lot about the MAP program and their focus on collaborative learning. The hardest question was "So it seems like you've been effective at leading a number of organizations throughout your career. What do you think has made you such an effective leader?". I stumbles for the first 5 seconds but then finished strong. At the end I asked a few Ross questions: Why my interviewer picked Ross (fit, teamwork), what he liked best about the school, what he thought could improve (Career Services for smaller companies), and what he thought about the transitional period until the new building (ok since they are in the EMBA building). Overall a decent interview, but as my first, of course, my answers weren't as well developed as they could be. I also found a phone interview to be awkward so if you have the option to do an on-campus I would recommend that. The total time was about 30 minutes.

KELLOGG: This was local with an alumni (who is a consultant). We met at a coffee shop. I wore a suit, and when she got there she was like "Oh yeah, I should have told you to be casual", but no biggie, I think it put me in a better mindset. I had emailed the interviewer my resume so she had brought it with her. We started off doing the standard, tell me your story, why MBA, why now, why Kellogg. She pushed back a little on the structure of one of my long-term goals, and I have to say she had a valid point and told her this. Also she asked about what I would contribute to a team and how I would be a leader at Kellogg. I was mentioning general leadership stuff and she pushed back and said specifically at Kellogg how would you be a leader so I gave examples of clubs I would want to take leadership roles in. (This interview is a little harder to remember). I then asked her about Kellogg. Why did she pick Kellogg (she was choosing between Wharton and Kellogg and just felt a better fit there), what she feels about being 10 miles out of Chicago (she said ok and that it actually builds more community in the first year), etc. The time for this was about 45 minutes total.

COLUMBIA: I loved this interview, also with an alumni. I was able to schedule my interview very soon after my notification and my interviewer submitted my report a few days after we spoke. She said she didn't want to hold up my decision, which I appreciate. Anyway, we met at a local lounge during one afternoon. She let me ask questions of her first, but kept responses short when I asked her things like why she chose Columbia because of course I would have to answer too! I gave her my resume, which she quickly scanned, we did the standard tell-me-your-story, why MBA, why now, why Columbia. One that she said is that the school is pretty finance heavy, especially because it is located in Manhattan and thats what a lot of the surrounding community is. She also drilled down into my goals a bit to see if I wanted to go into Consulting or into Industry. She also asked what other schools I applied to and basically I said a sprinking of the top 10. I really enjoyed talking to her and the interview definitely made me want to go to Columbia more. The interview was pretty short, about 30 minutes maximum, but I think that is just the character of the interviewer (because she had an interview scheduled 35 minutes before mine and got it done before I came in).

CHICAGO: This was also a local alumni, at her office. I really enjoyed this interview as well. It started with her telling me about the structure and timing of the interview. We chatted about my story, which she found interesting. We talked about what field I would like to work in when I graduated. Then why MBA, and especially why now. And standard why Chicago? I talked a LOT about the flexible curriculum and how the classes/clubs appeal to me and my goals. She interrupted me a few times to agree with what I was saying and each time I still had more to say about the school. She asked about a team experience that was going down a bad road and how I dealt with it. She also asked about a time when I was an effective leader and how specifically at Chicago I would be a leader. I then asked her about her experiences and how she picked Chicago. I also asked her about if job opportunities are more centered towards the Midwest. I also asked her if people live in one central area or if they are sprawled out. Then she asked me the dreaded "Where else are you applying?" question. I hate this questions so I stumbled my way through it. Overall, pretty good interview, about 30 minutes, made me want to go to the school more.

WHARTON: I went to campus for this interview. I had lunch with students and then my interview. I skipped the class visit and tour because of my travel plans and because I have been to UPenn a number of times before. The student lunch was good, I would recommend that everyone goes. It really helped me to get a feel for the school. It seems like there are SO many opportunities and that students are just going going going for two years, which sounds awesome to me. The waiting room was packed with interviewees, some nervous, some chilling and laughing. When I got there in the morning I had dropped off my resume so my interviewer had it when she came out to call me (exactly on time!). We went into one of the conference rooms in the back and she explained the timing and structure. Same standard questions. And then talked a lot about leadership and teamwork. Tell me about a good teamwork experience and a bad teamwork experience. Tell me about one of your strongest leadership experience. If you come here, what legacy do you think you will have left behind in your two years here? What do you think professors and your fellow students will think your greatest contribution has been? She then asked if there is anything else I think the AdCom should know (she is a second year student that sits on the AdCom) and asked me for questions. I gave her the standard ... and if she thinks the large class size is a plus or a minus. This interview also made me want to go here more.

OVERALL: I think things are going pretty well. To be honest, it's hard for me to gauge interviews. I just talk and hopefully I'm hitting points they want to hear. One thing that I've consistently heard is that most Career Services Offices aren't as adept at matching students with smaller companies/more specialized interests and that they are all working on it. No one has asked me about my "lack" of work experience, which is nice, and all have appreciated my career change and depth/number of extracurriculars.

Only 3 more to go (NYU, Duke, Harvard - ADVICE please???) and then time to relax until decisions come rolling in. Yay!!

Hope everyone is doing well out there ... this process is almost coming to an end!

Invited to Interview at ....

2007-02-12T11:43:00.000-05:00

NYU!

Man, this is getting really crazy. I'm trying to keep myself from getting overwhelmed.

In other news, I will report on my interview experiences thus far later, but nothing too crazy. Pretty standard you know? Why MBA? Why Now? Why X School? Tell me about your Career Change? Long and Short Term Goals? What Clubs? etc etc

2 More Interviews Coming Up ...

2007-02-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

So I have my Kellogg and Columbia interviews coming up quite shortly ... any words of wisdom?

ps - Sorry I have been bad about responding to comments, etc. Work has been nuts along with all this interview prep, and I just haven't had the minutes too ... but will soon!

Invited to Interview at ....

2007-02-07T14:14:00.000-05:00

... Columbia!!

I got the "check your status" email today. I also got an email with details to schedule my Kellogg interview a day or two ago ... man ...

I've done one interview this week already and I have 6 more to go by February 23rd ... talk about stressful!

At work ... more to come later

Getting geared up for Michigan!

2007-02-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have my Michigan interview coming up quite soon and I'm in the final stretch of preparation.

Any last minute words of advice? (Phone Interview)

Thanks!

Reflections on the application process thus far

2007-01-30T21:42:00.000-05:00

Hello all. As I relax at home on a wonderful Tuesday night, I thought I'd take some time to reflect on the application process and lift thus far. I'm still a bit tired from this weekend, and hyped up from all the news, so pardon me if I'm a bit delirious.

1) THE WHARTON INTERVIEW: Wow, let me tell you. This was a huge relief off my shoulders. To be honest. although I did not tell anyone, I was internally getting nervous about this one. My application had gone to "Complete" the day or two after the deadline. Last week when people starting getting interviews (including those who had gone to "Complete" many days after me) I thought my fate was sealed. Alas, the interview Gods were looking out for me and I got my invite today via email. This is especially great because I was starting to think that Philly and NYC schools had something against me! (Long story ...) I am really, really looking forward to seeing the campus, meeting with students and checking out a wonderful school!

2) 9 APPS IN 3 WEEKS: I've realized that even though reviewing essays for 3 months works for some people, it does not work for me. I started my MBA journey in late October, and took the GMAT in early November. I then started my apps in mid-late December and submitted Round 2. This was fast, agreed, but it seems to have worked out. I'm proud to have a number of interviews, and to have confirmed that for me, fast and furious is the way to do things. I do my best work under time pressure!

3) DUKE - TO INTERVIEW OR NOT?: I am now confused as to whether or not to interview at Duke. At the beginning of January, I scheduled my interview at Duke (in Durham) at the end of February. I do love Duke, but am unsure if it is in the same league as Wharton, Harvard and Chicago. However, I am nervous that if I do not interview at Duke and don't get in anywhere else that I will regret it. The main reasons I don't want to interivew is because of the time I will have to take time off work, the travel, and the prep. Any ideas?

4) ADVICE FOR ROSS/CHICAGO/WHARTON: So I think I have gotten some great feedback for my upcoming Harvard interview (a HUGE thank you for everyone who has commented and helped out). I now have Ross, Chicago and Wharton coming up as well. I would love to know the experiences of others and hear any advice on what the interviewers focused on and any special tips.

5) THANK YOU: Thanks to everyone who has been supportive and helpful thus far! I am looking forward to starting my interview journey and posting my experiences to help others as well! Yay!

Ok, that is my novel for the night. I still feel like I can't breathe right and a little like I'm going to throw up because I am so excited/nervous. Yay! Have a great day! :)

Invited to Interview at Wharton!

2007-01-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

Yay! Another short post because I am at work, but just got invited to interview at Wharton, YAY!!

Will post more later!!

Invited to Interview at Chicago!

2007-01-29T20:19:00.000-05:00

Yay! Another nice surprise today in my inbox - an invitation to interview at the Chicago GSB!

I am exhausted from a very tired weekend so I am going to sleep very early tonight, but will def write more later. Of course, I love any and all advice you all may have!

Thank you SO much!

Interview Invite at Harvard!

2007-01-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! I too was fooled last night when I got the HBS2U newsletter. But imagine my wonderful surprise this morning at work when I get a real, live, invitation to interview at HBS! I am super excited! I will be interviewing on campus at the end of February. I also am happy because this gives me some validation that my application is strong!

Now ... anyone have any advice on interviewing at Harvard??

Yay! Got an interview from Ross!

2007-01-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! My first interview invitation, how very exciting!

I was minding my own business at work today, actually pretty deeply in my work because of being out sick the last 1.5 days and an email popped into my inbox ... being an invitation to interview!

I am very excited! I want to do an on-campus, but I don't think I have the vacation days to spare from work, so I'll be doing an on-the-phone. I'm actually going to be in AA soon to visit my sibling who goes there, but on the weekend, when interviews aren't offered :( So I'll probably just tour the business school since I've seen the rest of it the million times I've been there!

Hopefully this is the start to many more to come!

ps - sorry I've been MIA on commenting, returning comments, etc. Just been down and out with this nasty cold! Congrats to everyone getting Wharton invites!

Anybody gotten interviews yet for R2?

2007-01-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

Yay for being done and having time to do lots of fun things! I like lists so I'm going to list out my thoughts:

1) Has anybody gotten called for R2 interviews yet? I know the Wharton invite window opened, but on s2s and bw forums have not seen many, if any, confirmations of anyone getting the invite. Just would love to know where most of the bschools are in the process.

2) Do I have to wait for my status to change to "Complete" on all the applications I submitted or do only certain schools do this Status change once they know they have all the materials they need?

3) My friend convinced me to register to for 2007 Chicago Marathon. I'm definitely excited as it's one of things I want to do once in my life, but very scared at the same time. It is a LOT of running, and a LOT of training on a bad knee. I also hate running outside (yes, I am one of those weirdos that prefers a treadmill) because of the pavement, but I think I can do it. Good thing is I have almost 10 months to get myself there!

4) I have a life again! Went out with friends last night, going out with friends again tonight, I love it! Soemtimes it feels slightly weird to now be stressed out all the time, but I think it's great.

5) Hope everyone else is doing great and relaxing as well!

6) Random question: do you guys out there in the blogging world think that people actually change? Or that if there are fundamental flaws in people, they will remain in some form for their entire life?

Finished with all my applications!

2007-01-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

Hello to all my fellow, MBA-ers ... get ready for it ... I AM DONE WITH MY MBA APPLICATIONS, YIPPEEEE!!!

I can't believe this process is over. I wouldn't necessarily say it was "long". I started thinking about it in October, took the GMAT in November, and submitted all 9 applications from Jan 2nd through Jan 14th. However, it was extremely tiring. I know that is partially my fault, but can I help it if I do my best work at the last minute? No no, I can't.

I'm glad that I applied where I did, and I hope I get lots of interviews (or fine, at least one). And I hope, starting in the fall I am getting my MBA somewhere, and maybe meeting some of you lovely folk in the live!

It's interesting, it seems that Indians are very into this blogging thing. A lot of my comment-ers seem to be from India, and I myself am a first generation Indian-American (mama and papa immigrated here before I was born). I wonder what it is that entices our culture into blogging?

Right now I am sleepy, but I hope in the next week to post a more in-depth post ... about something ... maybe business school related, maybe not, hehe.

But for now, I need to/would like to do the following:
1) Sleep
2) Clean my apartment
3) Start working out again and training for the biggest challenge EVER
4) Start doing my own art again
5) Get groceries and cook cook cook
6) Finish the two books I am in the middle of
7) Redocrate my apartment
8) Update my portfolio
9) Increase my volunteer time
10) SPEND TIME WITH MY FRIENDS!!!

Happy thoughts to you all! : )

Quick Update - 8 done!

2007-01-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie update ... submitted Stanford this morning. That means 8 applications down!

Cannot put into words how happy I am ... and not even worried about the last one. I'm smooth like butta' .... (and running on 4 hours of sleep today ....)

And I'm even thinking about ::gasp:: doing something recreational and fun tonight!

So close to being done, I can taste it

2007-01-10T00:49:00.000-05:00

Wow, talk about exhausted. It's not even that I'm stressed or anxious, but truly just exhausted. Have not felt this tired from doing excessive work since college.

Here's the quick update:
1) UChicago: Submitted!
2) Columbia: Submitted! (Did NOT realize how heavy the data part of the application would be on this one)
3) MIT: Decided not to apply. 2 more years at a tech-heavy school in cold Boston just do not sound happy to me. And I firmly believe that in order to be successful in school/life you have to be happy wherever you are!
4) Stanford: Totally done, just sleeping on it tonight before I click on submit.

Wow wow wow wow wow. I cannot even believe how close I am to being done. Well, kind of. I obviously have to finish NYU by the end of this week (soft deadline for myself). And then the waiting waiting waiting and hopefully getting an interview. I am worried about not getting one, but I've done the best I could do and it's out of my hands now! It's definitely tough to work a full-time job with lots of hours and apply to business school, but I have to say I'm proud that I did it.

But seriously, am very very very nervous about not getting any interviews.

In becoming a bit introspective about this whole process, I've really realized how much learning I have to do. While researching all the websites and curricula and all, I can't believe how much knowledge is out there. I only wish that everyone in my company had to take some of the courses I will hopefully have the opportunity to take. Applying has definitely made me realize the value of proper training, especially for managers.

Have I mentioned that I'm slightly nervous about not getting any interviews?

5 down! At least halfway there!

2007-01-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

I submitted Fuqua today, yay! And now I am over the halfway mark which is great, because my head does feel like it's going to explode from staring at the computer for most of the weekend. At least I got out for a few hours here and there to see friends. And enjoy the 60 degree weather.

Now to go:
1) Columbia is almost done, just 1 more essay. Does anyone else think that their online application form is super frustrating, asking you to uplaod separate documents for EVERYTHING? Also, it doesn't view properly using Safari on a Mac. C'mon business people, give the Macs some love! I hopefully will be submitting this tomorrow.

2) Stanford is all done (essays and form) except for essay 1 (What matters to you most and why?). I'm torn between two different answers - one a bit more personal, a story about the history of my life basically, and the other a personality trait that has threaded through my life. I'll definitely be submitting this tomorrow.

3) UChicago, to be honest, I haven't started. But it looks like for the first and second ones I can modify existing essays for, I'll just have to do the little questions at the end, and the form.

4) I'm still debating whether or not to apply to MIT. I made the decision to work on and submit Columbia, Stanford, and UChicago and only after that work on MIT. If I have time before the 10th I'll apply, but if not then no love lost.

5) NYU is not due until the 15th, muahahah.

Just a few more to go and I'll have my social, exercising, reading, pottery-making, FUN life back!!

ps - Does anyone have good remedies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? From working so much on applications and work being very hectic and out of control, I feel like the tendons are about to jump out of my wrists. Ouch ouch ouch. Please let me know of any suggestions!

4th app done & I love global warming!

2007-01-06T16:23:00.000-05:00

Just finished and submitted the Michigan App, yay! Crunch time is coming up with a LOT of applications due this Wednesday. I'm almost hitting burnt out but I think I can plow through it for a few more days.

Also, good news, my recommender got my Kellogg rec in on time, so another load off the shoulders.

In random news, the weather is FANTASTIC. I was planning to work on apps all day today, but I took a two hour break to have lunch outside. It's too gorgeous where I'm sure I would have regretted it later had I stayed inside.

Finally, my Wharton app now reads "Complete - Round 2" which means it is at the committee for review. Talk about scary! I just hope at least get an interview, it will be so sad to go through Feb and know then that I did not make it.

Good luck to everyone else working on apps!

3 R2 Apps down, a million more to go

2007-01-04T22:40:00.000-05:00

Kellogg is submitted yay! Only frustrating thing is that one of my recommenders STILL has not submitted (even though I've sent the email 3x sine October) so I hope he gets it in before the deadline. It's a bit unclear, however, because Kellogg states its deadline to be 1/5/07 but gives no indication of the time the app is due. Any ideas?

A lot of people have asked me why I am applying to so many schools. The truth is, I am doubtful of getting admittance anywhere, and so I feel like I have to apply to a lot of places to get in somewhere. I really really want an MBA and to learn about all the things in business school! What do you guys think? Better to apply to a lot or does it look bad to committees? Better to apply to a few and if no admission apply for 08 admission?

This whole process is so crazy and confusing, but a little bit fun too, like a game!

Good luck to everyone else submitting Round 2!

Blogging My Way to An MBA!

2007-01-03T22:38:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I've seen a bunch of blogs regarding MBA Admissions and I think it's a great way to share stories and advice, and keep a personal journal of the admissions process. So here goes my try at it!

I'm applying Round 2 to a number of schools (see the list below). My stats are 740 GMAT, 3.5 GPA, working since 08.2003 through the present.

My strengths: lots of extra-curriculars/leadership, high scores, top university, take initiative, have worked with extremely high level responsibility in past 6 months

My weaknesses: My initial two years of work experience were in science/engineering and only in the past year have I worked in business, so I worry about my "lack of experience". Also, I had one semester of really bad grades (GPA around 2.75) that I worry will affect AdCom's view of my academic ability. Finally, I feel "naive" in terms of the whole MBA and Admissions process, which may hurt my application and (if I get any) interviews.

My goals: I'd probably want to concentrate in Marketing and Operations. I'd like to go somewhere with a strong Social Entrepreneurship program. Long term I'd like to be a VP Marketing/General Manager and also start my own non-profit simultaneously.

Where I am applying (all Round 2):
Wharton (submitted 01.02.2007)
Harvard (submitted 01.02.2007)
Northwestern (almost done!!! will submit tomorrow - CANNOT wait until day of, it freaks me out)
Michigan (Still debating whether to apply - any suggestions?)
Duke (same as Michigan. Ideas?)
Stanford
Columbia
UChicago (Worried it might be too quantitative for me. Comments?)
MIT (too theoretical?)
NYU

Good luck to everyone applying R2!! Only a few more days, yay!